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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26417323">Alright</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/drawing_board/pseuds/drawing_board'>drawing_board</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>NCT (Band), WAYV</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Established Relationship, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, Some Fluff, Some angst, Swearing, jaeten being sweet, mostly word vomit, onesided taeten if you squint, overuse of commas</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 13:02:26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,858</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26417323</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/drawing_board/pseuds/drawing_board</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Ten is Art, most people agree. But apparently not the one person who ought to. (And that's alright. He's alright.)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul | Ten</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>85</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Alright</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Set during 2018 Empathy Era, referencing <a href="https://twitter.com/i/events/1032182540272979968?lang=en">these</a> profiles and descriptions they all did for each other.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>          "How does it not go to your head?" Johnny, who is spread out on the floor, using Mark's stomach as a pillow, asks laughingly. "Half of it is just praising your dancing or your creativity." </p><p>          "Yuta literally called him art," Mark adds in a tone of mixed exasperation and reluctant agreement. </p><p>          "What did Taeyong write? <em> Beautiful like a painting </em>." </p><p>          He catches the movement in the periphery of his vision, and Ten briefly looks up from his phone to appreciate the extravagant hand motions Johnny punctuates this statement with, nearly hitting Mark in the face when he drops it. </p><p>          With an amused scoff, he shakes his head and returns to the movie review he'd been reading. </p><p>          An hour after practice was officially concluded, Ten, Johnny, Mark and Jaehyun are the only ones left in the room. The knowledge that the dreamies were schedule free the next day led Ten to hang back for a while, escaping the inevitable sounds of ardent gaming sure to be in progress back at the dorm. Mark dropped to the floor when half the group had filed out, and Johnny followed suit with a comment about 'free real estate,' claiming Mark's midsection to rest his head. Ten was fairly certain it was some kind of meme reference, but the only person who might have appreciated it was groaning under the sudden weight of Johnny's head. Jaehyun too joined them for lack of anything better to do, but promptly occupied himself with his phone. </p><p>          It's hard to say what set them off on the topic of what the rest of their band thought of them. Once it did, the conversation inevitably came to the profiles they each wrote up a little over a month ago, complete with a description of the other members. Documentary proof, as Mark calls it. Jaehyun hardly remembered what people said about him. Ten admitted that he recalled a few people mentioning dance, and that Taeil said he had a pretty smile. Mark mostly only remembered what he said about others, so soon enough they were refreshing their memory with a little help from the web.</p><p>          The general consensus (excluding the words of present company) seemed to be that Mark is cute, hardworking, and generally positive. Jaehyun's descriptions surrounded the subject of his fairness and/or friendliness. Johnny's was split down the middle- a cool model aura to one half, friendly and dependable to the other half. Johnny, for what it's worth, is genuinely pleased with both. </p><p>          It's when they get to Ten that the nature of the descriptions change. Most of them at least reference dancing, but the majority go well beyond that. It's the second description involving 'god of dance' that prompts Johnny's question. </p><p>          And it's not like Ten is unaffected. He is. Just not with the result of boosting his ego. </p><p>          "You know we're all in the same industry, right?" Johnny prods when Ten doesn't respond to his satisfaction, "I didn't see anyone calling Taeil the king of singing, or Taeyong the god of rapping." </p><p>          "Am I supposed to be pleased that most of you couldn't come up with something more personal than the generic shit?" There's just enough bite in his playful tone to make Johnny and Mark look up. "I give you 'forever bro', and you gave me 'artistic person',"  he throws an accusatory glare at Johnny, who looks appropriately sheepish. “All of that would fit Taeyong just as well, but everyone just has nicer things to say about him.” </p><p>          "I called you my twin," Mark reminds placatingly. Ten tames the laugh that bubbles up into a smile. The kid <em> is </em>sweet. </p><p>          "You're the only one that loves me," Wiping an imaginary tear, Ten offers him a wink and a finger heart that has the unexpected effect of sending the boy into a fit of giggles. (Ten concludes that Mark is tired to the point of hysteria. There is no other explanation.)</p><p>          "You called me 'summer beach boy'," Jaehyun notes in a deadpan, prying his eyes away from his phone long enough to shoot Ten an unimpressed look. "How is that personal, hypocrite?" </p><p>          When Ten flashes him a sly grin and types a message, both Mark and Johnny are too occupied with their own thoughts to notice Jaehyun’s answering smirk as he looks down at his phone. </p><p>          “You really <em> are </em>good, though,” Johnny murmurs contemplatively to the ceiling. </p><p>          “Right?” Mark chimes in, and Ten is now sure that the youngest is dead tired because his inhibitions are at an all-time low as he continues without a trace of teasing, “when you’re on stage, it’s so.. like, <em> fluid </em>. Sometimes, like, it doesn’t feel like you’re following a choreography, y’know? It’s like you’re just doing what you feel like doing. Like, brush strokes.” </p><p>          Ten counts five ‘likes’, give or take. For Mark that’s still on the low side, and he would be in a position to judge if he didn’t overuse the word just as much. </p><p>          Johnny has no such reservations.</p><p>          “<em> Like </em>, yeah, dude.” </p><p>          A loud smack that is more sound than force reverberates through the room, followed by Johnny’s laugh. He sits up, rubbing the spot on his arm and studies Ten with a softer gaze. It occurs to Ten that the hurt in his voice might have been a little too raw - of course Johnny would recognize it. His friend’s tone is the one Johnny usually reserves for Doyoung or Haechan in their more vulnerable moments, too soft for Ten. “For real, though. I’m sure it’s not because they couldn’t come up with anything else. Pretty sure at some point all of us have been low-key mesmerized.” </p><p>          That signature warm, comforting tone must not be as effective on him; he still feels unsettled. But the reassured smile Ten gives must be convincing enough to fool him, because Johnny visibly relaxes. “Thanks,” his voice dips a little, still awkward taking earnest compliments from the people he’s been with for years, especially when it’s not in front of a camera. In an attempt to cut the slightly dampened mood, he adds pointedly, “not <em> all </em>of you, though.” </p><p>          The tone is so loaded, Mark asks the inevitable question of, “who hasn’t been?” </p><p>          Ten’s lips curl into a smirk when he looks up from his phone to Mark and Johnny, then lets his gaze sweep over meaningfully to the fourth person in the room. </p><p>          At first, Jaehyun is too invested in his phone to notice the two pairs of eyes staring him down. When he does, he clearly isn’t sure what has led to him being the centre of attention. </p><p>          “What?” </p><p>          “What do you think of Ten’s dancing?” Mark asks before anyone can explain. </p><p>          Jaehyun’s brows are knit more out of confusion over what prompted this question than the actual question. Eventually he shrugs and answers with characteristic nonchalance, “he’s alright.” </p><p>          While Johnny and Mark gape, Ten doubles over in laughter. </p><p>❛ั⌔❛ั</p><p>          “Hyung."</p><p>          “What?” </p><p>          “Who do you think is the best dancer in NCT?” </p><p>          Jaehyun wants to groan and bury his face into his pillow. Or throw something at Haechan. Maybe both. </p><p>          It’s been like this for three days. His honest appraisal of Ten’s dancing has been the butt of too many jokes because his group mates are incapable of letting things be until they beat it to death. Johnny tells Haechan about it first, which means most of the others are soon to hear it. </p><p>          The day after their conversation, Doyoung had gone all in making dinner, and honestly outdid himself this time. The three course meal was one they’d talk about for months. After everyone had their fill and then some, and every last speck of food had been devoured, Johnny had grinned at him and asked Mark in English, “what do you think of Doyoung's cooking?” </p><p>          To which Mark promptly responded, looking Jaehyun in the eye, “he’s <em> alright </em>.”</p><p>          The last few stragglers who didn’t immediately get it were at that point also filled in. </p><p>          Yesterday morning it was whether Son Heung-min could play soccer. Today morning it was a K.Will song playing on the radio as they headed to their schedules. Yuta obnoxiously piping up from the back of the van, “guys, what do you think of K.Will’s singing?” and simultaneous cries of ‘<em> He’s alright </em>,’ were all just loud enough that the manager was used to this kind of thing. </p><p>          Still, Haechan’s tone at the moment is more curious than gearing-up-for-teasing, so Jaehyun braves a glance up from his phone. “Seriously?”</p><p>          Haechan squares his shoulders and nods, making a deliberate effort to show he is genuinely interested in Jaehyun’s thoughts. “Seriously. In all eighteen of us, who do you think is the best dancer?” </p><p>          After a second of thought while the silence hangs between them, Jaehyun decides to trust his intentions. “I like Yuta’s style,” he admits cautiously, “but I think I’ve always considered you one of the best. You pick up on choreos faster than any of us, and you never mess up.” </p><p>          It’s clearly not the answer Haechan expects, but just as clearly, he’s touched. Even if that wasn’t really Jaehyun’s intention, he is glad to let Haechan have that. After all, it's an honest answer. He’s never given much thought to it, but Jaehyun is practical in all matters. His tastes may lean towards Yuta’s sharp, energetic style, but Haechan is a quick study, efficient dancer, and technically sound. Didn’t all that add up to a great dancer? </p><p>          “Oh wow,” Haechan breathes, the soft smile out of place on lips far more accustomed to a devilish grins and exaggerated expressions. “I really wasn’t fishing for compliments, I just wanted to know what you thought.” After a pause, Haechan is back to himself when he adds, “It means even more from you, since I know you don’t care enough to lie.” He snickers and leans over the space between their beds to cup Jaehyun’s cheeks and give it a patronizing pat, “don’t <em> ever </em> say that in front of Ten, though. I think it’d break his little heart.” </p><p>          Jaehyun laughs as he swats the younger’s hands away. “Trust me, his heart will be just fine.” </p><p>❛ั⌔❛ั</p><p>          “So you’ve really <em> never </em> thought of his dancing as beautiful?” </p><p>          The tentative question comes from an unexpected corner, and Jaehyun turns to really <em> look </em>at Taeyong. There’s no preamble, but Taeyong has a trick of continuing a thought aloud without considering the fact that his listener has not been privy to the beginning of the conversation Taeyong’s already had only in his head.</p><p>          Jaehyun’s become attuned to it. This time it isn’t even hard to follow. </p><p>          Taeyong wiggles further into the side on the waiting room couch and Jaehyun takes the unspoken invitation to make himself more comfortable, shifting the weight of Jungwoo’s head against his shoulder so that the younger’s chin is no longer digging into his collarbone. The adjustment makes a small, but noticeable improvement. </p><p>          “I guess I haven’t,” Jaehyun admits dispassionately. Taeyong holds his gaze for a second, and having gleaned that that’s all Jaehyun has to offer on the subject, turns his attention to his hands. Reluctantly, Jaehyun picks up the conversation again because Taeyong is clearly not off the subject, “have you, hyung?” </p><p>          “Sometimes,” Taeyong says in a voice soft enough that Jaehyun has to strain to hear him over the noise in the room. “Some pieces more than others.” </p><p>          “Why?” </p><p>          “Why? I don’t know. Some of them just suit his style better, I guess? The ones that are made for him.” </p><p>          “No, I mean,” Jaehyun clarifies, “why do you find it beautiful? I’m not an authority, but I’ve heard people who should know say his technique is good. But he also forgets the choreo sometimes.” He ignores Taeyong’s quick defence of ‘only when he’s tired,’ and resists the urge to answer ‘or when he doesn’t care.’ “And I’m pretty sure some of the others are better than him at certain genres. He's good at most genres, and that's one thing but you're not saying his dancing is versatile, or skilled. You say it’s <em> beautiful </em>. Why?” </p><p>          “Oh.” This takes Taeyong a second longer. His brows furrow. “Ten’s very real.” </p><p>          Jaehyun purses his lips to keep from snickering. Ten is <em> very </em>real, sometimes far too real for someone whose sensibilities are delicate as Taeyong. He’s aware Ten gets a kick out of overwhelming their leader, being deliberately larger than life and in his face till a flustered Taeyong is reduced to nervous laughter. A little sadistically, Jaehyun enjoys watching it happen. </p><p>          “But when he’s dancing, he’s a little… a little unreal,” Taeyong’s voice has gone soft again, gaze fixed on his hands, but looking at something beyond them. "He just conveys a sort of...dreamy feeling. Like if I reach out and try to touch him, it might be a mirage.” </p><p>          He can’t quite put his finger on what emotion lays behind Taeyong’s tone. Envy? Admiration? A mixture of both, or something else entirely? </p><p>          But the words stick with him even after Taeyong covers his embarrassment by laughing and brushes the subject off with a simple, ‘he’s good.’ When Taeyong is called for makeup, Jaehyun lays Jungwoo down on the couch and wanders out, searching for the person he knows is somewhere in the building. </p><p>          Shorn of all the colorful imagery Taeyong used, it came down to a pretty simple idea. Had he ever thought of Ten’s dancing as beautiful? It’s hard to say. Not <em> beautiful </em>, he thinks. There were moments over the years of training and performing together when he appreciated how well he danced. But more often than not, Jaehyun was too busy focusing on his own efforts to give anyone else’s too much thought. If he did consider another trainee’s skills, it was either to learn what he could do better, or on occasion to feel a healthy pride over what he already did better than someone else. (Admittedly, there never was much dance wise that he did better than Ten.) </p><p>          Even when the stress of weekly evaluations and the initial obsessive perfectionism of a difficult debut was over and Ten started coming into his own as a dancer, developing his own unique style, Jaehyun’s perception hadn’t changed. He saw it in the others, sure enough. He watched as Jaemin replayed the Dream in a Dream practice almost reverently. He’d been amused by Yuta’s intense stare when he monitored Ten’s solo for Black on Black. There was some magic there that was lost on him, and that thought left him feeling a little empty- like he was missing out on something special.  </p><p>          In the moments that he did think of Ten, it was never in terms of Ten, the dancer. </p><p>          Just...<em> Ten </em>. </p><p>          He spots the subject of his thoughts in the hallway, and realizes that the other is too deep in conversation with a back-up dancer to notice him approaching. There’s a glimmer in his eyes when Jaehyun casually catches the other by the wrist, as though pausing just for a brief moment- a casual greeting as they head in different directions. Like he hadn’t set out to find Ten in the first place. </p><p>          “Hey,” he smiles carelessly, giving the back-up dancer a slight nod, before his eyes are back on Ten. “Are you going to be at the dorm later?” </p><p>          “Probably,” Ten allows after thinking about it for a second, and that is the end of their conversation before they continue on their separate ways. </p><p>          If the warmth in that chance meeting is contained to the way Jaehyun’s thumb traces the line of Ten’s wrist, or how Ten’s fingertips brush against his palm when they part, no one is there to see it. </p><p>❛ั⌔❛ั</p><p>          It’s 8PM when Ten is finished showering, and steps out into an eerily quiet dorm. </p><p>          For once, he isn’t too keen on silence. It stirs that unsettled feeling in his chest again. </p><p>          He’s not sure what brought it on in the first place. Change, he suspects. And loneliness. In a few months he'll be debuting with the new group. It's not that bad, really. Three people he has plenty of history with. Three new faces that he's already met and grown to like. There's the language, which is difficult, but he's making slow but steady progress there too. </p><p>          Then there was a moment that morning when seven of them were gathered together and conversation naturally drifted to rapid fire Mandarin. Ten was left behind, feeling a lot more lost than he let himself show. Kun didn't let it go on too long. He appreciated the gesture when the man reached over to give his arm a little squeeze and subtly redirected the conversation to Korean. What made it worse was the understanding look the others gave him as they caught on and switched to Korean. He didn't enjoy being the reason they couldn't speak comfortably. And that ugly thought had assailed him again- he was already hard to like, a language barrier just made things worse. Once again, he's the outsider. </p><p>          Ten stared down at the boiling water. It's not like him to warp things like this- he knows that's what he's doing, but it doesn’t stop him from doing so. He <em> knows </em> he isn't much harder or easier to like than anyone else, but it's a different matter trying to convince himself of that. He also knows that whatever they write for a stupid profile, he is more than a colleague to the people he's been with for years. </p><p>          It's difficult to see past ones self-pity when it's this strong, so he doesn't at first notice the presence behind him. Not until he's reaching for the ramen at the upper shelf of the cabinet when an arm snakes around his waist, and Ten nearly jumps out of his skin. </p><p>          He lets out a small shout that's cut off by a hand at his mouth, and Ten's (now angry) muffled protests are covered by familiar rich laughter. </p><p>          When Jaehyun finally moves his hand and turns the older around, still firmly pinning Ten between himself and the counter, Ten is pressing a hand over his pounding chest. Jaehyun's cackling abates for half a second till he's smacked over the head with a packet of Ramen and goes into a second fit of laughter. This time he hugs Ten tightly to ward off any more attacks, and buries the rest of his bubbling amusement into the side of Ten's neck. </p><p>          "You're such a menace," Ten grumbles, stuck somewhere between feeling irritated and embarrassed. Jaehyun wheezes as he pulls back enough to wipe a tear out of the corner of his eye. "I could have been in front of boiling water, you idiot. Then where would we be now?" </p><p>          Jaehyun has the audacity to grin as he cups Ten's jaw and leans in to plant a kiss against pouting lips. "Give me a little credit. I waited till you moved away from the stove."</p><p>          This apparently isn't the right answer, because Ten's eyes go wide. "You wai- how long have you been here, exactly?" </p><p>          Jaehyun can only shake his head in exasperation. “Don’t you think you would have heard the keypad if I came in just now?” He watches as Ten considers this, not very certain he would have. Jaehyun had figured that might be the case. Ten was caught up in his head again. “I got in when you were in the shower,” he explains, arms wrapping comfortably around the other again. </p><p>          He’s not clingy- not usually, but these moments are rare. It’s hard to let go when Ten’s arms settle around his neck like it’s second nature, fingers gently stroking the back of his neck. “Thought about joining you,” Jaehyun purrs, bumping his nose against Ten’s, “but then I got a call, so I ended up waiting in your room.” </p><p>          This time when he leans in, it’s not just a peck. They stay like that for a minute, conveying through languid kisses and mingled breaths all the feelings swallowed down when they’re in public. Ten’s fingers push into his hair, his own pressing into the older man’s hips in an attempt just to <em> feel </em>each other there, ground themselves to this constant when everything else starts spiralling. </p><p>          It’s ridiculous how much this feels like home when they’ve only been together for a little over a year, Jaehyun thinks. Maybe it does make sense. They aren’t a couple that dated for a couple of months, carefully weighed their compatibility and attraction to call it official. When they got together, it was with the intensity of a storm breaking out, the makings of which had been brewing in the recesses of his mind for longer than he can pinpoint. Even back then it was never the fantasy of them together that bothered him. Jaehyun was never burdened with an overactive imagination. It was Ten and his indomitable presence- sometimes loud and excitable, sometimes quietly focused- but never negligible. Not to Jaehyun. </p><p>          When Jaehyun smiles into the kiss, Ten pulls back amusedly. His fingers stay in Jaehyun’s hair, caressing as Jaehyun rests his forehead against the other's. “What?”  </p><p>          “Nothing,” Jaehyun isn’t sure himself. It’s Taeyong’s words ringing at the back of his head. <em> Like a mirage </em>. “Just thinking about something Taeyong said.”</p><p>          Ten looks like he wants to ask, but is interrupted by a hissing noise from the stove. Unceremoniously shoving Jaehyun aside with a cry of ‘the water!’, he rushes to attend to it. What little water hasn’t evaporated is at the bottom of the pan, but the damage has already been done. There’s a dark spot in the metal where it had begun to burn and Ten is <em> sure </em> he hadn’t been distracted for that long, so he must have not put in nearly enough right off the start. He groans, inspecting the wreckage that looks back at him mockingly like it’s a fitting end to the kind of day he’s had. “ <em> Fuck me </em>, I guess.” </p><p>          “I plan to,” Jaehyun says sweetly, unflinching in the face of Ten's glower. Really, Ten reasons, this is his fault. If Jaehyun hadn’t scared the living daylight out of him and then kept him distracted, he would be having slightly under-watered Ramen right now without worry of Jaemin chewing his ear off for ruining a perfectly good pot. </p><p>          “Fuck you.” </p><p>          “I’m game for that too,” Jaehyun drawls with a saccharine smile, and laughs at the look he gets in response. </p><p>          “I’d rather have ramen,” Ten gripes untruthfully. </p><p>          Still, he <em> is </em> hungry. And Jaehyun is nothing if not prime boyfriend-material, so when Ten is gathered up in a hug, has a kiss pressed to his temple and is urged to go sit down while Jaehyun takes over cooking, he complies. </p><p>          The makeshift dinner is fancier than Ten would have made it because Jaehyun is still a more involved cook after a day of schedules than Ten when he has nothing better to do. Their conversation drifts from talk of things that happen during schedule to the trainees set to debut in the chinese sub-unit. Ten will never admit it out loud, but watching Jaehyun move around the Dreamy dorm’s kitchen with practice kindles a warm feeling in his chest that is somehow equal parts contentment and longing. He is happy in this moment, in the relationship that they have to keep secret but found a way to enjoy that too. He’s happy, he realizes, in what’s next for him - a new challenge, new people. Why was he worrying about fitting in and being liked? If someone as good and precious as Jaehyun chose to be with him, he’d be fine. He already belongs. </p><p>          The longing is still there when Jaehyun takes his free hand while they eat, and he gets caught up in the thought of what the future holds for them. Every beautiful and terrifying possibility. </p><p>          “Ten,” the call of his name drags him out of his thoughts, and he glances down. He notes idly that the volume has been turned down on the TV. Not that it matters, they’ve seen this particular movie too many times. They’ve been settled into this position for about half an hour now. Ten leaning back against the arm of the couch, and stretched out over the length of it. Jaehyun is settled between his legs, laying back against Ten, the pleasant weight of his head against his chest. </p><p>          But he’s twisted around now, deep brown eyes turned up to him with gentle concern. Ten hums in acknowledgement, cupping the younger’s jaw and brushing his thumb against his cheek. </p><p>          “You okay?” </p><p>          Ten smiles softly and nods, “I am, now.” </p><p>          Jaehyun shifts, scooting up a little so that his head is resting against Ten’s shoulder. When he turns his head for a kiss, Ten is happy to oblige. </p><p>          When Jaehyun turns back to the TV, he pays more attention to the way Ten’s cheek is resting against his temple and arms hug a little tighter around his waist than the image on the screen. It’s then he really <em> knows </em>Ten is okay. </p><p>          “You’re my rock,” Ten murmurs under his breath in English, voice dipping an octave the way it does when he’s being earnest. Jaehyun’s pretty sure no one gets to hear that soft tone as much as he does, and treasures it. </p><p>          He likes being Ten’s rock, the one person he can depend on implicitly. Ten is his anchor, but Jaehyun is not as adept at expressing the things he feels. He hopes that in the comfortable silence, Ten can sense it. </p><p>          “I think I know why I don’t get awestruck when you dance.” </p><p>          Ten snorts, but indulges him. “Alright, let’s hear why.” </p><p>          “According to Taeyong hyung you have an illusory quality when you’re doing certain routines.” </p><p>          “Illusory?” </p><p>          “Like...not real,” he explains the unfamiliar word, and Ten nods. Jaehyun sits up properly on the couch, tugging Ten over when the other tries to sit up as well. “So that’s probably why I don’t get it.,” Jaehyun concludes, maneuvering Ten into his lap so they are face to face. “Because to me, you’re the realest thing.” </p><p>          For a moment, Ten’s expression is soft because he can tell some part of that is genuine. It doesn’t last long. When he cocks his head to the side, that amused smirk in place, Jaehyun sees the question coming. Because Ten always sees through him. </p><p>          “Is that really why?” </p><p>          “No,” he admits defeatedly, “I just <em> really </em>think Yuta looks cooler.” </p><p>          Ten’s laugh is genuine, as is his agreement of ‘I think he looks pretty cool too.’ If Jaehyun ever thought the fact that he wasn’t Ten’s greatest fan bothered him (he didn’t), Ten doesn’t leave room for doubt when he squishes his cheeks and assures Jaehyun that he likes that the younger man’s opinion is unaffected by their relationship. <em> Shows character </em>. </p><p>          “I <em> do </em>like the way you move,” the undercurrent of something else in his voice is already plenty suggestive, but he punctuates the thought with a squeeze of the other’s thigh. </p><p>          Ten hums low in his throat, fingertips ghosting against Jaehyun’s chest  as he trails a hand down, and Jaehyun <em> refuses </em>to get worked up by something as simple as that - but his body is a traitor, so his breath hitches. The only redeeming factor is that Ten is chewing  on his bottom lip when his fingers dip under the hem of Jaehyun’s shirt, tracing the ridges of taut muscles. </p><p>          “The kids might be back soon.”  </p><p>          “No they won’t,” Jaehyun answers too quickly, “Jeno said filming is gonna go all night.” </p><p>          This surprises a laugh from Ten, and Jaehyun is only embarrassed for a moment before he gathers all his bravado and leans in to nuzzle into Ten's neck, mouth closing over a patch of skin. “So. What about it?” </p><p>          “Well…" Ten purrs, pretending to take his time considering it though he is already tipping his head to allow the younger better access. Before those lips have worked their way up to a particularly sensitive spot Jaehyun unfailingly takes advantage of, Ten slips out of reach. Jaehyun is left to worry for about half a second when Ten climbs off him and starts making his way out of the living room, stretching with feline grace. </p><p>          "Since you <em> planned </em> to," There's a wicked promise in Ten's voice when he pauses at the door and casts a sly look over his shoulder,  "wouldn't want to disappoint." </p><p>❛ั⌔❛ั</p><p> </p><p> </p><p><b>                    10  <br/></b><b>                   [6:34PM] <br/></b>thats a lot of talk for someone who described their boyfriend as ‘a light hearted friend I hang out with’ </p><p><b>Jeffrey                   <br/></b><b>[6:34PM]                   <br/></b>Still more personal than ‘summer beach boy’</p><p> </p><p><b>                    10<br/></b><b>                   [6:35PM]<br/></b>I, PERSONALLY, would like to see you shirtless on a beach.<br/>I would be there too<br/>see???<br/>personal</p><p><b>Jeffrey                   <br/></b><b>[6:37PM]                   <br/></b>:P<b>                   <br/></b>&lt;3<b>                   <br/></b>get in line</p><p><b>                    10<br/></b><b>                   [6:38]<br/></b>rude</p><p><b>Jeffrey                   <br/></b><b>[6:39]                   <br/></b>I just heard Mark say ‘like’ 6 times<b>                   <br/></b>What are we talking about</p><p><b>                    10<br/></b><b>                    [6:40PM]<br/></b>Nothing important<br/>You might wanna look up from your phone though</p><p><b>Jeffrey                   <br/></b><b>[6:40PM]                   <br/></b>Why </p><p><b>Jeffrey                   <br/></b><b>[6:42PM]                   <br/></b>Idgi why did mark ask that<b>                   <br/></b>and why are you laughing at me?? <br/>Ten </p><p>Tennnnnnn <br/>TT___TT</p><p>&lt;/3</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>If you've made it till here, thank you for reading!<br/>my first work on here and of course it's a rare pairing, but jaeten is precious @funkeymonkey fight me<br/>please leave comments if you feel like it, they make my day!<br/>Find me on <a href="https://twitter.com/hybridsamsota">Twitter</a></p><p>｡^‿^｡</p></blockquote></div></div>
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